Apparatus for mechanically combining metallic and nonmetallic matter



Maid! 24, 1931. I MElER 1,797,992

APPARATUS FOR MECHANICALLY COMBINING METALLIC AND NONMETALLIC MATTER Filed June 27, 1927' Patented Mar. 24, 193i UNITED STATES PA E T OFFICE ERNST MEIER, or BRUNSWICK, GERMANY. .a'ssrenon- 2rd 'BRnuNsonwEiGER HI'TTTEN- WERK G. M. B. it, OF anuivswl'cx, GERMANY APPARATUSIOR MECHANIGALLY COMBINING METALLIC AND NONME'IALLIG MATTER Application filed June 27, 1927, Serial No. 291,816, and inGermany July 2, 1926.;

My invention relates to improvements in the method of and apparatus for mechanically combining metallic and non-metallic matter.

6 As is known to those skilled in the art, the coefficient of friction of metals is improved by mechanically combining non-metallic matter therewith. For example, for adding graphite to alloys containing aluminum and 10 zinc or Babbittmetal a complicated operation is necessary, because a homogeneous product capable of being cast is obtained only by frequently breaking and pressing the mixed materials, the said materials being mixed either in a cold state and pressed in a hot state, or being mixed in a semi-fluid state of the metal. The object of the improvements is to provide a method by means of which a homogeneous mixture of the said materials can be obtained in a comparatively simple way, the homogeneous product being obtained by a single operation and without much mechanical work and without applying high pressure to the materials. With 26 this object in view my invention consists in first melting the metal, such as aluminum or alloy, into a liquid state and adding thereto the foreign matter, such as graphite in vacuo.

- I have found that thereby the parts are in- 30 timately mixed with each other, and oxida tion is prevented, the amount of oxygen being comparatively small by reason of the operation in vacuo.

In order that my invention be more clearly understood an apparatus suitable for putting the same into effect has been shown in the accompanying drawing, in which the same reference characters have been used in all the views to indicate corresponding parts. In said drawing,

Fig. l is a sectional elevation showing the apparatus, and V Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1 and showing the wings for stirring the materials being mixed.

In the practice of the invention I first melt the metal or alloy into a very fluent state, I

while stirring the materials in vacuo.

In the example shown in the figures the apparatus used for carying out my improved method consists of a furnace having a. Verticalcylindrical wall a formed at its bottom with an opening 6. Through the saidopenin a nozzle 0 for supplying liquid fuel is passed into the furnace below a bridge cl, the hot gases producedby combustion of the liquid fuel escaping through a tubular outlet 6 connected with: a stack. :At the top of the said furnace there is a'semi-spherical container f, which is formed at its bottom with a tubular outlet 9 passed through the wall a of the furnace and adapted to be closed more or less by means of a plug it made integral witha screw-threaded spindle 7L screwing in anextension g of the outlet 9 and carrying. a hand wheel 7L On the top face of the container f a, semi-sphericalcap c' is. placed which is similar in dimension to the. container f, and which is provided at'its top with a tubular intake member 9 the. top part 8 of which is adapted to bevclosed'by a lid t, and which is formed with a lateral branch 7" adapted to be connected to a vacuum apparatus. The cap 2' carries two arms is projecting laterally therefrom and providing bearings for a rotary shaft-Z extending through the spherical chamber provided by thev container 7" and the cap 2', a suitable packing medium-nbeing provided for closing the saidchamber in an air-tight manner. Theshaft Z is adapted-to be rotated by means of pulleys m keyed thereto. WVithin-thesaid chamber f, 11 two pairs of arms 0 are fixed to theshaft l, and

to each pair of. arms a substantially semicircular foraminated plate 29 is fixed. In the operation of the apparatus the materials to be" combined, for example aluminum and powdered graphite, are fed into the container f through theintake member 9, whereupon the saidmember g is closed by means of the lid 6 and the air is removed through the branch 1". After having produced the desired vacuum liquid fuel. is supplied through the nozzle 0, so that the metal contained within the chamber 7, i is melted, and the shaft Z is rotated for stirring the molten metal and graphite, the vacuumbeing maintained while thus stirring the contents of the container.

Thereby the amount of oxygen within the container f, i is small, and any gases produced Within the said container are immediately removed.

After the materials have been sufficiently stirred they are tapped off by removing the plug it :and cast into the form of bars. I have found that the material thus produced is perfectly homogeneous, that it can be cast, and that the'components are not separated by remelting or otherwise working the same. By adding graphite to metals or alloys to be usedin bearings a material is obtained which is valuable by reason of its low coeffii cient of friction.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for combining metallic and non-metallic matter comprising a stationary container having inlet and outlet passages, means for tightly closing said passages, :means for producing a vacuum in the container, means for supplying heat to liquefy contents of the container, and rotary stirringmeans in the container.

2. A furnace for combining metallic and non-metallic matter comprising a container, a removable cover therefor, power-driven means carried by said cover foragitating the contents of the container, said means being removable with said cover, and means for heating thecontents of the container to a temperature suflicient to melt the metallic contents.

3. A furnace forcombining metallic and non-metallic matter comprising a container, a removable cover therefor, laterally extending arms on said cover, bearings on said arms, a shaft rotatable in said bearings, a pulley for rotating said shaft, foraminous beater plates" carried by said shaft within said container, and means for heating the container to fuse its metalliccontents.

4.' Ina furnace for combining metallic and non-metallic materials, a. container, means for heating the same to fuse its metalliccontents, a shaft extending horizontally of the container, and foramin'ous beating platesonsaid shaft. 9 v 7 In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand. c

V ERNST MEIER. 

